Fred Rappuhn, Author at NuTech Services LLC

Jun, 2022

The Right Backup Practices Could Be What Saves Your Business

How seriously does your business take data backup and disaster recovery? You might not be able to predict the future or what might occur, but you can at least prepare for it to mitigate the damage it could potentially bring about. Today, we want to share some of the best practices you can implement to combat even the worst disaster scenarios your organization might encounter.

Use the 3-2-1 Method

The 3-2-1 rule focuses on the number of backups you have stored at any given time, as well as how they are stored and accessed in a pinch. This rule argues that you should maintain at least three copies of your data, two of which are on-site for easy access and one in a secure off-site data center, accessible through the cloud. You want so many copies of your data so that you aren’t completely ruined if one or more copies of it are corrupted or destroyed. You’ll always have a working copy of your data that you can rely on in a worst-case scenario.

Consider RPO and RTO

Two of the most important metrics to consider for your backup system are RPO and RTO, or recovery point objective and recovery time objective. RPO examines how much data you need to get your operations back to an acceptable level, whereas RTO concerns itself with how long it takes to get back to that point. If you can identify these metrics, you can optimize your chances of recovering from a disaster.

Utilize a BDR System

With a comprehensive BDR system in place, you will have access to all the tools you need to keep your operations running even under the worst possible circumstances. The traditional method of taking data backups using tapes was a manual nightmare that pales in comparison to the more modern and effective BDR systems which can be automated to save time and resources. You can take snapshots of your data for more frequent backups, ultimately resulting in less data loss and prioritizing business continuity. A good BDR system can also act as a temporary server in the event your infrastructure is damaged, minimizing downtime while you search for replacement hardware.

Get Us On Your Side!

If you want to ensure your business doesn’t suffer needlessly from data loss or downtime, NuTech Services can equip your organization with a high-quality backup and disaster recovery solution. We can protect your business from all of the issues that involve business continuity. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

4 Steps to Improve Your IT Decisions

Businesses are rarely successful without the ones steering the ship having the ability to make great decisions. Whether it’s managing your workforce, supporting your customers, or procuring the right equipment to best facilitate productivity, good decision making will be at the heart of any organization’s success. Let’s examine how you can make better decisions as they pertain to your technology solutions.

The most important part of procuring any new technology solution is how it will impact your workflow. With so many technology solutions out there, you need to implement those that make sense for your business. To ensure this happens, consider the following four suggestions.

Consider Alternative Costs

Implementing a new solution is wonderful, but only if your staff know how to use it. If you try to implement a solution to enhance productivity, you’ll need to also consider the return on investment in terms of how much time you’ll have to spend getting your team on board with it, along with the time spent training and testing your staff on its use. It might not seem like an immediately apparent cost, but we assure you it is a very real one.

Involve the Right People In the Discussion

When discussing new technology implementations, it’s important to get the perspectives of the people who will be using it. This might mean asking your staff, particularly experienced employees, or other stakeholders and management. With these valuable perspectives on your side, you’ll be able to make the most educated decisions possible about any new technology implementation project.

Choose Your Partners Carefully

When it comes time to add new solutions to your infrastructure and processes, you’ll want to work with businesses that have your company’s best interests at heart. In other words, the vendors you work with should be invested in your company’s success rather than just looking for their next big sale.

Remember to Set Achievable Goals

Without realistic and achievable goals, any new technology implementation will be doomed to failure. Big changes might be a big deal for your business, but only if they have direction. Otherwise, you could wind up being mired in the processes that drag your business down and prevent it from making any forward progress. With clear objectives and goals, you’ll be able to optimize your chances for success.

When it comes to implementing new technology, it’s best to leave this important task to professional technicians with years of experience and expertise. NuTech Services can consult your organization on the best path forward. To learn more about what we can do for your company, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

A Document Management System is a Handy Business Utility

Businesses must often store documents for the purposes of compliance, but anyone who has managed a document storage system that uses physical documents, like filing cabinets or otherwise, knows that it can get a little complicated and messy. Technology offers better alternatives that make things easier, efficient, and most important of all, more secure.

A document management system (DMS) can be used by just about any business to replace the aging filing cabinet. You won’t need to handle physical documents any longer, instead opting to scan them and store them in a secure database. DMS gives your business much greater control over documents by providing dynamic options to help you efficiently and securely store and share them with others at your organization.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways a DMS can aid your business’ document storage efforts:

Improving Compliance

Considering the current state of compliance, there’s a good chance that your business needs to adhere to at least a handful of them. These regulations are often complex and almost always require data security. It can get expensive to secure physical documents in a way which complies with these regulations. Document management systems, on the other hand, provide a secure platform that strictly adheres to these regulations while improving transparency and control over the files stored in it. If you use a more complex DMS, you might also have capabilities to show visual data flow for documents, something that backs up your claims of compliance in the face of an audit.

Improving Data Security

DMS provides a safer alternative to your traditional filing cabinet allowing for better protection against theft. DMS offers additional layers of security and control that you just can’t get for physical documents. A cloud-based DMS is maintained and managed by a provider, and as such, it is protected by their own security team. Furthermore, in case of an emergency or disaster, the data is made available to your remote teams, allowing for productivity and redundancy that you don’t get from physical documentation.

Saves You Money

Even if it doesn’t appear to, printing and file storage do have large costs. Consider how much you spend on printing for all of your important documents, then double that so you have backups in place, too. When you think about the fact that it can cost almost $20 to file one document and over $200 to reproduce it, you might realize that eliminating these expenses is the right call. DMS allows you to reduce these costs and make your files more accessible in the process.

Enhances Organizational Productivity

The biggest return on your investment will by far be in the realm of productivity, as you no longer have to waste countless hours sifting through filing cabinets to find physical documents. You can easily locate and share documents as needed with anyone on your staff who needs access to them. Imagine all of the ways you can better use that time to your organization’s benefit!

NuTech Services can help you implement a DMS that works for your particular needs. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

A Brief Overview of Google Workspace

Productivity suites are a dime a dozen, with Microsoft Office being perhaps the most well-known. However, there are plenty of other options out there, such as Google Workspace. How does Google Workspace hold up as a solution for productivity compared to its competition? Let’s take a look!

First, we should mention that Google Drive and Google Workspace provide a similar, if slimmed down, experience on just about any compatible device. There are also collaboration features built right into the software and anytime-anywhere access, and it’s all thanks to the cloud-based nature of these tools.

Google Docs

There can be no denying that Microsoft Word is the more functional solution of the two word processors, but for most businesses, Google Docs’ user-friendly interface will more than suffice. Docs features all of the tools that you might need for your word processing needs, and Google is adding new functionality all the time. Longtime users of Word might still prefer to use it over its competition, though.

Google Sheets

In much the same way Docs is a simplified version of Word, you’ll find that Google Sheets is similar to Microsoft Excel in a lot of ways. It retains much of the functionality, so you can expect a similar experience, but it’s more minimalistic compared to Excel. Anyone who has tried to use Excel for more than simple spreadsheet functionality might appreciate the simplicity that Sheets provides.

Google Slides

Google Slides continues the trend of offering similar experiences and functionality to Microsoft PowerPoint, but in the Google Workspace suite. While it doesn’t boast as dynamic features as its Office counterpart, its simplicity and ease-of-use should serve the same purpose.

Google Forms

You can use Google Forms to create surveys. You can use these forms to build surveys, create quizzes to test the knowledge of participants, or to collect information from users. It’s one of the more interesting features of Google Workspace.

Other Notable Google Applications

There are various other Google applications you might be able to leverage to your advantage, including Google Drawings (diagram creation software), Google My Maps (map and location tracking software), Google Sites (a wiki and web-page creation tool), Google Apps Script (scripting platform to create other add-ons for your Google Apps), and Google Jamboard (an interactive whiteboard platform).

Google Workspace might not be for everyone, but that’s why you have us to contact if you want to know more about it. We can help you make an educated decision about your business’ productivity suite. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

Avoid Productivity Speedbumps with the Right Software

Productivity is at the heart of running a successful business, but it’s not always apparent to employees how their effort translates into value for the company. Is there a way to use technology to help fuel productivity and ensure employees understand the value that their productivity provides to your organization? The right tools can eliminate barriers to productivity and allow your employees to reach their full potential.

That said, technology can often be a big challenge for some companies to implement. On one hand, refusing to implement more advanced tools means you cannot compete with your competitors. On the other hand, the costs of running a business are higher than ever, and technology is not as easily attainable as a result, particularly for small businesses. Certain tools, however, are both affordable and feasible for businesses to implement. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Customer Relationship Management

With management software, you can eliminate the need to multitask as frequently, allowing employees to better schedule and spend their time throughout the workday. Multitasking divides the attention of your employees and causes problems in quality of work performed. Research has shown that employees work best when they can focus on one task at a time.

One tool that is great for eliminating multitasking is a customer relationship management tool, or CRM solution. CRMs come with built-in automation that allows you to track every task set to them, and they can integrate with just about all parts of your business. A CRM is great for freeing up more time for you to focus on other tasks, as they automate so much of the sales and marketing funnel.

Cloud-Hosted VoIP/Email

If you have a home phone system, chances are you are using a VoIP system that comes through your cable modem. Modern businesses must utilize the same communication technology if they want to remain competitive. VoIP systems allow businesses constant access to the tools they need to succeed, including solutions built for both desktop and smartphone use, along with other features like instant messaging and conference calling to meet the ever-changing needs of the workplace.

A great cloud-hosted email system can also be a powerful asset. With cloud-hosted email, you can provide access to a fast-syncing solution that integrates well with messaging and other productivity tools. With the right email system, you’ll find your business can be more productive and efficient, and you’ll find that most enterprise-level email providers can help you build their offerings in a cloud environment.

Mobile Device Management

The modern workforce is armed with one of the most powerful productivity tools out there: the smartphone. It’s a fact that people are going to use their smartphones, so you should do what you can to build how they use their smartphones into your business strategy. Some companies even give their employees time to use their phones for calling, messaging, and social media, while others are much more liberal in allowing the use of these devices. Others eliminate the unpredictable nature of smartphones by implementing BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device.

A comprehensive BYOD policy backed up by a mobile device management tool gives your business insights into how your employees are using their personal smartphones while on the clock. This means that you don’t have to overtly deny your employees the use of their devices, but more importantly, it means that your team will be using devices protected and reinforced by security measures.

NuTech Services can help you eliminate and move past these productivity roadblocks through the use of technology solutions. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

Computers Don’t Like Physical Persuasion

Sometimes it might be tempting to just smack your computer to make it work appropriately, and while it’s often a joke that this can fix the problem, it’s not something that we would recommend you get used to doing. Let’s discuss why it might not be a good idea to abuse your computer.

Repair-via-Violence is Sometimes Referred to as Percussive Maintenance

Yes, there is an actual term for hitting your technology to make it work. According to Techopedia, the definition is as follows:

“In IT, percussive maintenance is the art of shaking, banging or pounding on something, in order to make it work. Experts generally define percussive maintenance as the use of rough impact on physical hardware to solve some type of malfunction.”

It might work for you in your own life, particularly with technology like radios or televisions, but why shouldn’t you do this with your office technology?

Because It Can Break Your Business’ Technology, That’s Why

The reason why percussive maintenance might work sometimes is that issues can come about due to loose connections, and the impact could actually reposition the internal components. However, the opposite could happen, and you could damage your computer even more.

Comparatively speaking, the odds of making a problem worse through percussive maintenance are just as high as you resolving the problem. It’s not a risk that you want to take with something as expensive and important as your office technology. It’s like dropping your phone; your heart drops as you fumble with it, knowing full well that it will cause more harm than good if it hits the ground.

Even though percussive maintenance has been known to work on occasion, it’s not something that we ever recommend. You should leave your computer problems to us so that you don’t have to beat your technology to make it work.

With Managed Services, You’ll Have a Better Option than Just Hitting Your Device

NuTech Services can help you identify the causes of your technology problems and take the appropriate steps to resolve them. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

Have You Planned Your Business’ Technology Refresh Schedule?

Businesses that utilize technology often try to make it last as long as possible to avoid the costs of overhauling their entire infrastructure. This can cause a lot of damage in the long term, though, especially if this practice leads to keeping technology longer than necessary. Let’s examine some of the variables that go into technology refreshes and how you can know when it’s time to do so.

It’s not always easy to determine when and how you should upgrade your business technology. You need to take pricing and deployment into account, as well as the technology’s impact on your team’s productivity. Furthermore, you need to look at whether or not the technology will be compatible with your company’s needs.

Why Upgrade at All?

When you use technology for so long without it failing, you might wonder what the benefit is to upgrading at all. Well, here are a few of them:

Downtime: The older your technology gets, the more likely it is to fail. Computers and their components will go bad over time, and there is a lot of capital invested in technology following a failure like this. If technology isn’t working properly, this downtime can impact your productivity and bottom line.
Turnover: Employee turnover can be problematic and expensive, and one of the key reasons why employees might leave their company is because their technology is not kept up-to-date. This is especially true for younger workers who think their reasonable requests are not being accommodated.
Lack of Support: Using the same technology for so long eventually leads to a lack of support when the software or hardware is dropped by the developer. This can lead to unsupported systems developing security or functionality flaws that can impact productivity and potentially even compliance.

What is the Average Refresh Timeline?

Most businesses will want to consider a technology refresh every three-to-five years. You can often get away with going slightly beyond this timeline, but the longer you wait, the more unreliable your technology will get.

What Types of Technology Need to be Upgraded?

Your physical infrastructure will need to be maintained and refreshed every so often, but you should also consider your business’ applications and storage. You don’t necessarily have to purchase new server units; you can use cloud-based servers, thereby removing the need for physical on-site infrastructure in the traditional sense. You can work with a provider to implement an infrastructure that works best for you. You’ll save a significant amount of money, as you’ll be paying service fees rather than full-fledged up-front costs associated with completely replacing technology over time. Plus, you won’t have to maintain the infrastructure—that’s the responsibility of the provider.

Other technology that might need to be updated includes routers, switches, workstations, and accessories. Clearly there is a lot that must be considered, so we recommend implementing refreshes for solutions that provide a high return on your investment. That being said, it can be overwhelming if you don’t have dedicated IT support.

How We Can Help

NuTech Services can assist your business with implementing new technology, a process that also includes setting up a refresh schedule. Our technicians can help you design, deploy, and support your computing infrastructure in the most effective and efficient way. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

Are You Budgeting Enough for Security?

Cyberattacks have caused many millions of dollars worth of damage to businesses over the past several years, so it makes sense that your business should invest in its cybersecurity to mitigate these damages. That said, there is only so much you can invest into your cybersecurity budget, as you have to factor in other parts of your business, too. Today, we want to share with you three ways you can invest in cybersecurity initiatives that won’t completely break your bank.

Many organizations hire a CISO, or Chief Information Security Officer, to handle the management of their cybersecurity budget and the general security management for IT resources. This individual might operate under the CIO, but they have the chief responsibility to ensure that the cybersecurity budget is allocated as the business sees fit. Here are four tips you should keep in mind when finding your CISO.

Identifying Your Organization’s Digital Strengths and Weaknesses

Most IT implementations are rooted in an understanding of your infrastructure’s strengths and weaknesses. In order to get the most out of your IT capital, it helps to know just what needs to be addressed and where you can benefit the most. You might be shocked by how much an audit can help with this process. Some of the common issues suffered by small businesses include:

Business continuity plans: Businesses don’t always have contingency plans in place for the worst-case scenarios, especially for their IT systems. If they’re not careful, downtime could become a serious problem in the event of a disaster.
Phishing and cybersecurity training: With the threat landscape constantly changing, you’ll want to make training your staff a priority. Phishing attacks are the top way malware spreads across systems.
Cybersecurity insurance: Cybersecurity insurance does exist, and it can help to protect against data loss and cyberattacks.

A comprehensive security audit can help your business address the many challenges it might face moving forward.

Aligning Your Security to Support Your Business

Certain investments might be practical, but they also need to suit your business’ specific needs. Security spending is something that can be justified as long as risks can be managed appropriately. To this end, you should invest in solutions that provide a return on your investment over the long term such as risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, and solutions that also boost productivity and efficiency, such as automation. This can justify the expenses associated with automated security processes.

Onboard Solid Contributors

The final piece of the puzzle involves building a strategy that requires investments be made in your IT infrastructure. Whether you are trying to hire new employees or bring in professionals to help train your existing workforce, investing in the people power of your business will always be fruitful. The more your employees understand about the role they play in securing your business, the easier it will be to keep your organization safe.

Network security doesn’t have to be challenging. If you make informed decisions about your security investments, you can remain confident that your organization will be making the right decisions moving forward. To learn more about how NuTech Services can fit into your IT decision-making process, reach out to our professional technicians and consultants at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

Securing Your Endpoints Can Help Thwart Cybersecurity Troubles

How many devices or points of access do you have for your business’ data infrastructure? Chances are it’s more than you think, at least at first glance. If you count up all the mobile devices, server units, workstations, laptops, and so on that have access to your network, you might suddenly realize how important it is to secure all of these endpoints, as any unsecured device could be a path forward for hackers.

What is an Endpoint?

In short, an endpoint is any device that interacts with your data infrastructure. Examples include smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, networking devices, servers, routers, and so on. Essentially, any device that has access to your infrastructure in any way can be considered an endpoint, so you must do what you can to make sure they are secured. Otherwise, you could be inadvertently putting your data at risk.

Considering the fact that many employees are still working remotely, and likely will for the foreseeable future, you must consider where and how your employees are accessing the data on your network. It doesn’t matter if the device is employee-owned or company-owned; it still needs to be secured, perhaps even at the infrastructure level.

What Can You Do to Protect Them?

We’ve put together a list of practices you can use to improve endpoint security for your organization’s infrastructure:

Implement enterprise-level security solutions including a firewall, antivirus, spam blocker, and content filter
Consider a zero-trust policy to ensure all users authenticate their identities before being granted access to data
Use a virtual private network to encrypt traffic into and out of your network
Consider permissions of all users on your network
Train your staff on how to identify potential attacks against your network
Back up your data just in case you need to restore it in the future
Secure devices that you don’t think need to be secured, like Internet of Things devices—perhaps even on their own network separate from your business’ operational connection

Get Us On Your Side!

If you need cybersecurity professionals to back up your endpoint security, we’ve got you covered. NuTech Services can help you implement any and all solutions you need to keep your business safe. With us on your side, you’ll know that your data is well-protected, no matter which device is accessing it.

To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2022

What Are Browser Cookies, Anyways?

What do a bakery and a web browser have in common? Both have cookies—but, what are browser cookies, and what do they do? Let’s take a few moments to explore the concept of the browser cookie and what their function is.

So, What Are Browser Cookies?

A browser cookie is quite simply a text file that your computer uses as a kind of identification as it connects to a network, nowadays most associated with the Internet. HTTP cookies help to differentiate between users and make each of their browsing experiences the best they can be.

To accomplish this, HTTP/browser/Internet cookies enable your browser to track and save data about each user’s browsing sessions—jargon for the time spent on each website. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, the server that hosts the website’s data shares information with your browser that is recorded in a cookie on the browser. The next time you visit that website, the cookie tells the website what information to show you from your past sessions.

This is how websites are able to remember that a user has logged in after the browser is closed, or keep track of items that have been added to a shopping cart. In fact, cookies are responsible for allowing the “back” button to work on your browser.

Not All Cookies are the Same

Okay, to this point, we’ve primarily discussed first-party cookies, or those that the websites you visit create directly. So long as you’re browsing safely, these cookies will generally be safe to collect.

However, there are also third-party cookies, those that come from another website than the one you’re visiting. These are frequently spread through advertisements to help track a user’s surfing patterns.

Session cookies are those that only last as long as a user is on a website, and marketing cookies are those that help shape the ads that a user sees based on their browsing history—they’re the reason that you might keep seeing ads for a tortilla press after looking up recipes for homemade tortillas.

Other cookies include performance/analytical cookies, which give those who run websites the metrics they need to improve them. These metrics include things like the length of time spent on a website, the levels of activity different parts of the website see, and if visitors manage to find what they are looking for.

Some Cookies Should Be Avoided

Generally speaking, a business should only enable the minimal cookies needed to function. Otherwise, more data may be shared than you are comfortable with, and you might be exposing your data to threats. Fortunately, most cookies are relatively simple to remove if need be.

How to Remove Cookies in Different Browsers

Google Chrome

Access the three-dot menu, and from there, Settings. Under Privacy and security, click Clear browsing data and proceed to Advanced. Once you’ve selected a time period, select Clear data.

Microsoft Edge

Select Settings, and then Privacy and services. You’ll see a section labeled Clear browsing data, where you can Choose what to clear. You’ll be prompted to select the time range to clear data from, which you can accomplish by clicking Clear now.

Mozilla Firefox

Click on Options, and then on Privacy & Security. You’ll see Cookies and Site Data, and the option to Clear Data.

As always, NuTech Services is here to assist you with all aspects of your technology. Find out how else we can assist you by giving us a call at 810.230.9455 and asking us about our IT support and consulting services.

Jun, 2022

When Working Remotely, Cybersecurity Has to Be a Priority

Cybersecurity is something that must be reinforced both in the office and out of the office for your remote employees, and it’s unfortunately quite difficult to maintain. Let’s take a look at the unique circumstances surrounding the remote worker and how you should reinforce security best practices for them, even if they are not physically present in the workplace.

Best Practice: Provide Them with the Tools to Stay Secure

It’s important that you give your employees the tools they need to stay secure while outside the protection of your in-house network. We recommend that all remote workers utilize a fully up-to-date antivirus software at all times, as well as a virtual private network (VPN) connection. A VPN in particular is an excellent tool for just about any business, as it can keep onlookers from snooping through the traffic moving to and from your employees’ devices.

Best Practice: Emphasize Password Security Even More

There are several password best practices that should be followed, including a couple that we keep near and dear to our hearts at all times: never write down your password, always use a different password for a new account, create a passphrase that is difficult to crack, and so on. Remote employees should be held to the same standards as your in-house workers, and perhaps they should practice even more stringent guidelines. You want to craft a culture of cybersecurity that reinforces appropriate password best practices so that these standards stay at the top of your priority list at all times.

Best Practice: Reinforce Physical Protections

There is more to cybersecurity than just the digital component of it; you must also consider the physical security side. Be sure to keep unexamined peripheral devices away from your work hardware, and be sure that any and all hardware used for work is kept secure at all times. We recommend that you reserve it for work exclusively rather than using it for your personal use, too. Doing so helps to keep it secure, and it helps to keep you sane, too.

These tips are only the beginning of an appropriate remote cybersecurity policy. We recommend that you contact NuTech Services for even more great tips and tricks on cybersecurity. To learn more, give us a call at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

Doing These Three Things Can Help You Control Your Printing Costs

If your business is trying to limit costs, then printing should be one of the first things you look at. Paper documents have historically been important for businesses, but they take up a ton of space in the office and are incredibly difficult to regulate effectively. Let’s go over how you can decrease the resources you spend on printing and maximize efficiency elsewhere in your paper practices.

Of course, printing costs much more than just paper, ink, and toner. You also spend money on filing cabinets and storage, and someone needs to take time to organize it and keep it organized. That’s all without mentioning the upkeep and maintenance for all of your printers, too.

The way we see it, you can cut costs with printing by doing three things:

Upgrade Your Printers

If your printer network is outdated, it might benefit from some new hardware. For example, an old ink-jet printer could be replaced by a laser printer. Laser printers are faster and more efficient, and they will save you money over time since they are more reliable.

Manage Your Resources More Efficiently

Okay, maybe you are in a position where you can’t cut out printing entirely, and that’s okay, too. You can still better control your printing resources. By monitoring them, you can more effectively store what is needed and eliminate waste. If you change some settings on your printers, you might be surprised by how much you can save in this way. Furthermore, storing only what you need rather than going all-in on a surplus can save you money.

One way you can manage printing better is through the use of a printer management application that limits how much an individual can print. You wouldn’t believe how many thousands of dollars are spent on printing when employees can simply be more observant about their printing practices. If you put this system in place, combined with other measures, you’ll see savings for sure.

Go Paperless

If you lose productivity by dealing with countless paper documents and you are finding that your office is not well-equipped to handle them all, then perhaps a document management solution can help you go paperless. Essentially, it is a secure place to store and manage your documents in a digital environment, rendering your traditional filing cabinets obsolete. You get a searchable cloud-hosted database that gives you the ability to share and retrieve files on a whim.

NuTech Services can help your business move toward better printing practices and solutions. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

Technology for the Modern Law Practice

It’s important that attorneys have access to the important information and tools needed to enable them to do their jobs. When they can do so easily, they are able to bring in more revenue, take on more clients, and provide better services to their clientele. What kinds of technology do lawyers need to improve their practices?

First, it helps to have a bit of context for how the pandemic has changed operations for lawyers. Legal services are popular, sought-after services, but the pandemic forced many lawyers to go virtual. Now, what started as a trend might be a more permanent shift, and the following technologies are what will enable lawyers to do their work more effectively in a virtual capacity.

Document Management and Automation

Document management is a must-have technology for law offices, as paperwork is an incredibly important part of practicing law. Document management and automation tools can effectively streamline document creation, as it can capture and populate templates utilizing information already provided. It can provide a solution to search, view, and edit documents, and every transaction comes complete with documentation, something which is critical to the law practice. We can help you build a document management system for your law firm so you can always keep the files needed on-hand and available on your devices.

VoIP Enabled Video Conferencing

VoIP has gone from being an emerging technology to a vital one, meaning that it’s silly to not use it in comparison to the other solutions out there. It gives your business one more way to make the most out of its Internet connection, and there are so many other great features available through it too, like video conferencing and other communication tools. Video conferencing is particularly important, as more people are wanting to meet virtually than ever before, and it only provides your law practice with even more flexibility and options. Many video conferencing tools have VoIP built right into them, and the best solutions are those that are secure and easy to use with high-quality video and audio. There are even options that include end-to-end encryption.

Scanners

Data entry is also crucial to the success of any law firm, and those in small practices might struggle to keep their files in order. With a digital repository for these files, it can be easier and more secure to manage the various documents. Scanners can be used to input data in this way. Depending on the solution, you can either go all-out with a flatbed scanner or use handheld scanners that won’t cost your business an arm and a leg. Even modern printing solutions often come with scanning solutions your business can use for this purpose.

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are quite useful for professionals, but in the law field, they can completely change the dynamic of the profession. They provide access to applications built specifically for attorneys while also providing access to documents, communication, and data storage. Smartphones and tablets are popular tools for modern law firms.

To keep your law firm ahead of the competition, we recommend you reach out to NuTech Services. We can help you assess your current technology practices and suggest ways you can improve them. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

You Can Use Software to Vastly Improve Your Customer Relationships

Customer relationships are at the heart of any business that sells a service or goods, making a technology solution like a CRM a powerful way to jumpstart operations. Let’s review what some of the benefits of using a CRM are and how your organization might use one to the best of its ability.

Let’s break down the features that you want your CRM to come with.

What Features Should My CRM Platform Offer?

Workflow Automation

The more of the CRM workflow that can be automated, the better. In short, the less time you have to spend managing these processes, the more time you can dedicate to other responsibilities and initiatives. You save time, but you also save the possibility of user error from getting in the way of your processes. Faster results and greater accuracy make for an excellent combination under any circumstances.

Integrations

Similarly, if you have multiple software solutions and platforms that integrate with your CRM, you can take advantage of additional functionality that can save you a ton of time in terms of workflow. You should look for integrations like marketing automation, chat, call center, support, and web analytics; trust us when we say that these tools will pay for themselves in the long term.

Contact Management

Staying in touch with your clientele or customers is extremely important, especially when you are trying to turn prospects into actual customers. A high-quality CRM can make this as easy as can be.

Lead Management

Keeping track of leads, including contacts that your team have had with them, can be beneficial for your business. The importance of being able to turn these numbers into actionable metrics cannot be understated. A CRM gives you ways to grow your pool of prospects and it gives you an idea of which ones might be most lucrative to form a relationship with.

This only scratches the surface of what a CRM can do for your business. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

Small Businesses are Starting to Embrace AI

Artificial intelligence has several uses in the business world, many of which utilize machine learning. With greater access to this technology than ever before, small businesses have more opportunities to grow as a result. Let’s go over how SMBs can utilize AI, including how to get started with it.

How Can Today’s Small Businesses Use Artificial Intelligence?

AI is flexible in its design, intending to mimic the cognitive processes of the human brain. Essentially, it is software that can follow patterns and establish its own learning and reasoning processes to solve problems. This is why it’s so useful for small businesses. Here are some ways it can improve operations for SMBs:

Enhancing Cybersecurity

Your employees likely have a routine that they follow, and this routine is what makes their work responsibilities consistent. AI can use data to make predictions, a process which aids in cybersecurity and productivity. AI can take note of a user’s account and showcase when it’s doing something out of the ordinary, like logins at times when the office should be closed or from strange locations around the world. It can also tell if employee behavior is at odds with your security efforts.

Optimizing Customer Service

Businesses prioritize customer service, but the unfortunate fact is that it can be time-consuming. This time is often better spent on other processes and needs. AI systems can aid in customer service through the use of automated chatbots, providing customers ways to get the answers they need, when they need them. This removes some of the burden off your workforce and might just give them time to perform other tasks. Furthermore, it’s a great way to collect data about what your customers want and need.

Finessing Customer Relationships and Marketing Efforts

It takes a lot of effort to sift through the data and insights gathered during the customer relations and marketing aspects of your business, and digging through this data can be an incredibly time-consuming and resource-intensive process without the use of AI. AI can examine this data and make conclusions based on it. You can then use these conclusions to make the most educated decisions possible for your organization moving forward.

Artificial Intelligence is More Accessible Than Ever

If you want to learn more about machine learning and other ways technology can make your business’ operations better, reach out to NuTech Services at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

Tip of the Week: Handy Shortcuts in Google Chat

Google Chat, a worthy successor to Google Hangouts, is a great tool for users that can help them be more productive throughout the day, but did you know that you might be missing out on a ton of functionality by forgoing some of these keyboard shortcuts? Let’s go over some of the most helpful ones and how you can use them to get more out of this tool.

Access a Shortcut Cheat Sheet

If there is one shortcut you walk away from this blog with, we want it to be this one. To pull up a keyboard shortcut list, all you have to do is press the ? key with no conversation selected. It will bring up a list for you to reference.

Quickly Switch Your Lines of Communication

If you want to hop around the interface without taking your hands off the keyboard, you can use this keyboard shortcut. Jump from one space or conversation to the next by pressing Ctrl + K. This will open a box, providing you with options to start a group conversation, browse or create a new space, review message requests, or start a dialogue with one of your existing contacts.

Edit a Sent Message

If you send a message a little too soon, you can make a change to it after the fact by selecting the up arrow on your message. Once the message is selected, you can make any necessary edits, then update the message.

Google Chats is a wonderful tool, so make sure you get the most out of it! NuTech Services can help you take full advantage of your technology solutions. To learn more, give us a call at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

The Keys to Remote Worker Productivity

Remote work has only grown more popular with time, to the point where it is now common for employers to offer it in some capacity. While the pandemic may have expedited this shift, it is clear that remote work has become a new normal in some industries. Today, we thought we would address one of the hot-button issues about remote work: keeping your staff engaged and productive.

Engagement is More Than Production

First, you need to understand that remote employees often do better work much faster while they are in the comfort of their own homes. It’s simply a fact that people take less time to do the same tasks they would do in the office while working remotely, and since they don’t need to consider other variables that they normally would when leaving the house, they can get right to work.

It’s also important, however, to acknowledge that there might be more distractions in the home environment compared to the workplace. While it might seem they are a little less productive, we recommend sticking to the key performance indicators as a clear metric for how productive they truly are.

To shed some more light on this sticky situation, here are three factors that you can use to ensure that your employees are engaged with their work, and therefore, productive throughout the workday.

You Still Need Culture

Your company culture is much more than the incentives you offer; it’s also how you treat your employees. A remote team might feel like they are pushed aside or lurking along the sidelines rather than being a part of the team, so you need to do what you can to engage them and work toward that sense of belonging. Shared goals and interests can connect people and encourage them to work better together.

One way you can engage your remote team is to use your collaboration tool for a little bit of fun, like adding a “just for fun” channel where the team can communicate, share stories, memes, jokes, and so on. You could also set up an optional meetup for your team to just hang out in a virtual space to talk about whatever happens to be on their minds. Basically, the idea is to normalize the idea of working from home so that they don’t feel so disconnected from what’s going on in the office.

Get the Right Tools

All that said, none of this is possible without the right kind of collaboration software. There are plenty of solutions on the market that utilize different technologies to promote an inclusive work environment. From collaboration software to video conferencing, or even just a simple instant messaging platform, you might be surprised to see just how much of a difference it can make.

Provide Emotional Feedback and Support

Believe it or not, working from home can add quite a lot of stress and pressure to workers. Some simply handle it better than others. Keeping your communications organized and efficient can be a major way to take some of the stress out of their day-to-day responsibilities. You want your employees to know that they are people, not just a square in a Zoom meeting or a number on the other end of a VoIP channel. Maintaining regular communication and offering timely, constructive feedback is incredibly helpful to ensure that your employees stay engaged, productive, and happy.

It’s not always easy to manage a group of remote employees, but with the right tools and practices, you can take a lot of the challenge out of it. To learn more about how you can do so, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

4 Surprising Statistics about Network Security

If you aren’t making cybersecurity a priority for your business, then we urge you to review the following statistics to ensure that you understand the gravity of the consequences. Let’s take a look at some of the ways scammers and hackers are making their way around the carefully-laid defenses placed by businesses and how you can protect your own organization.

First, a quick look at the statistics is in order:

The global cost of cybercrime is a staggering $6 trillion.
On average, it takes over half a year to detect a data breach.
91 percent of attacks start with a phishing email.
Businesses faced an average of 22 security breaches in 2020.

$6 trillion makes cybercrime the world’s third-largest economy, which is a little jarring to say the least. Evidence suggests that four percent of the U.S. GDP is swiped by those involved in cybercrime. This is a total of billions of dollars, all stolen by hackers and scammers every year. These numbers are for the United States alone; imagine what is being done on a global scale.

As far as the news is concerned, you would think that data breaches are so high-profile that they are identified easily, but this is simply not the case. The average time to detection, according to IBM, is around 287 days. In data-intensive industries like healthcare and financial services, this number is even larger. IBM provides a timeline for containment as well, a number that sits at around 80 days.

Social engineering attacks were far from the norm in computer-based attacks, but hackers have continued to utilize these attacks to best even the smartest of network security professionals and solutions. Phishing attacks are the primary example of this; it might not be easy to crack a password, but it might be easier to do so if the user whose password you’re trying to steal willingly gives it away because they don’t know any better. This is why phishing has become front-and-center in the cybercrime field.

No business is too small to become the target of a cyberattack, and you should always be prepared to deal with the worst-case scenario, no matter how unlikely it might be. The average business deals with 22 security breaches each year, and you can rest assured that if you fail to protect your business, it will suffer as a result.

Network security can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. We aim to make understanding its intricacies easier and to take the burden off of small businesses. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2022

What is It that Impacts the Quality of Your Internet Connection?

For something as fundamental to a business’ processes as its Internet connectivity, it can be challenging to determine how reliable and fast your Internet connection is. We wanted to review the different factors that would impact the connectivity that your business gets.

What Impacts My Business Internet Speeds?

There are assorted influences that need to be considered to figure out the potential connection speeds you might achieve for your business:

The Infrastructure Connecting You to Your ISP

Regardless of your contract, your Internet speeds are going to be dependent to some degree on the infrastructure that is delivering them to your business. Cable and fiber-optic lines can deliver Internet at speeds that are far faster than what the antiquated DSL connection over the telephone network can.

How Far Away the Network Centralizer is from Your Business

Fast as data moves, it still takes a bit of time to make it from point A to point B. Therefore, the further away that the network centralizer is, the longer it will take for the transmitted data to reach your business and vice versa.

How Many Users and Devices are Connecting at Once

Naturally, when more people are getting a piece of the pie, the pieces are going to get smaller and smaller. The same goes for your Internet bandwidth. Each device that connects to the Internet impacts the availability and speeds available to the rest—the more there are, the slower the connection will be.

There is only so much that you can do to increase your business’ Internet speeds, short of shelling out more of your hard-earned dollars. We’re here to help you make up for the lost efficiency in other ways, through improved and optimized IT solutions.

Give us a call at 810.230.9455 to find out more.

May, 2022

How to Know You’re Being Targeted by a Phishing Attack

Phishing attacks are serious business, so it is important that your team members know what they are, for one, and know how to spot them. To facilitate this, let’s review the signs of a phishing attack—or ideally, a phishing attempt (because by spotting it, you’re more able to stop it).

First, let’s quickly touch on what constitutes a phishing attack.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a horribly common form of cyberattack that is used by cybercriminals to accomplish a variety of goals, whether it’s gaining access to a system or stealing data from your team members. Basically, by posing as a trusted party and communicating with your team members, the responsible cybercriminal leverages the imperfect human element to sidestep your cybersecurity.

Phishing, while perhaps most well-known as an email-centric threat, can take place in many forms and formats. In addition to phishing emails—which themselves come in numerous forms—phishing attacks can also come in the form of SMS messages, phone calls, and effectively any other means of communication.

This makes it crucial that your team is prepared to deal with these attempts—capable of spotting them and properly reacting by reporting their suspicions to your IT resource.

To this end, let’s go over a few ways that your team members can potentially catch a phishing attack before they fall for it.

Signs That a Phishing Attack is Targeting You

There are numerous signs that a message could potentially be a disguised phishing attack. Here’s a basic list, but you can always reach out to us at 810.230.9455 to learn more about any or all of these warning signs::

A tone that doesn’t match the supposed sender
Misspellings and other discrepancies in key details, like email addresses, domain names, and links
Out-of-the-blue messages
Egregious spelling and grammar errors
Unexpected or out-of-context attachments
Excessive urgency behind, or open threats as a consequence of, not complying with the message
Ambiguous messages that motivate the recipient to investigate
Unusual requests, or requests for explicitly sensitive information

It’s important that your team is aware of these warning signs and actively keeps them in mind when dealing with any business communications.

We’re Here to Help Keep Your Team Safe!

Reach out to us to find out how we can assist you in maintaining your business’ security against threats of various kinds, including phishing attempts. Give us a call at 810.230.9455 today.